I'm Right Here
by petevioletfan
Summary: What will happen to Pete and Violet when Katie returns?
1. Chapter 1

As I heard my son's cries from across the hall I could feel Pete loosen his arm from around my waist. I quickly made my way to Lucas's room, hoping his cries would subside. It had been a week since Pete's mother had passed, and the wounds were still raw.

As I made my way downstairs with Lucas, Pete was already up preparing breakfast. As I entered the kitchen I placed Lucas in his high chair and made my way over to my husband.

"Morning" I said, as I wrapped my hands around Pete's waist from behind. He turned around and wrapped his arms around my shoulders kissing me on the forehead as he brushed the curls away from my face. He smiled, but I could see it was forced.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, even though I could still see the sorrow in his eyes. "I'm okay" he responded as he turned back to the eggs being fried. I didn't want him to feel ashamed or embarrassed after his breakdown. I understood why he was so upset after Francis' death, he had spent years estranged from his mother, and her dying shortly after they began talking, and after she had met Lucas was not easy.

"Pete" I said quietly, my voice filled with sympathy. "Violet, I'm fine. I really just don't want to think about it anymore. She's dead, it's done." he said, a firmness to his tone.

"Okay, I'll leave it alone. I just want you to know I'm here." I said sitting on the counter so I could see into his eyes.

He still wouldn't make eye contact with me, clearly upset.

"Pete, look at me." I demanded. He reluctantly raised his head, so I could see the sadness in his eyes. "After the attack last year, you saw me at my lowest, at my most vulnerable. Of course I didn't want you of all people to see me that weak, but we got through it, it made us stronger." I paused, waiting for his reaction.

I jumped off the counter and approached Pete. "Please don't close yourself off from me."

He didn't say anything at first, clearly hesitant about letting down the guard he had built since his mother's death. He took a step towards me, pulling me into his arms, his head buried deep in my shoulders. I could hear a muffled "I love you" as I rubbed the back of his neck.

"I love you" I responded, reassuring him that I would be here.


	2. Chapter 2

A couple days had passed, and Pete seemed to be returning to his old self. He would of course always be affected by his relationship with Francis but he seemed to be concentrating on the more positive aspect of being able to say goodbye to her before her death.

It was a regular Wednesday morning, as the alarm sounded at 7:00am, I hoped I could shower before Lucas started to fuss.

I rolled over to face my husband who was stretching out beside me. "Lucas awake yet?" he asked. "Nope, haven't heard him yet. He must be tired" I responded as I removed the covers from my body.

"You know what we haven't done in a while?" Pete playfully asked as he rolled on top of me, and began kissing my neck. "Pete, it's been a week, I wouldn't consider that a while" I responded as he continued to kiss my neck. "I would" he responded teasingly, pulling my tee shirt over my head.

"Pete, Lucas is going to be up any minute, and we both have to shower before work!" I said as I rolled over, changing positions.

"Hmm..good idea" Pete said, as he pulled my legs around his waist and rose from the bed. "What are you doing? I asked as I held onto his shoulders laughing.

"We're showering" he responded, "this is really a more effective way" he smiled as we entered the bathroom and began to undress. "Fine, but we have to make it quick" I said. "Fine by me" Pete responded as he kissed my lips and turned on the faucet.

After our shower, Pete quickly grabbed Lucas and headed downstairs to begin breakfast, while I continued getting ready for work.

As I descended the stairs, I couldn't manage to wipe the smile off my face. Things seemed to be going so well lately, Pete and I had been married for almost a year, Lucas was beginning to talk, my book sales were soaring, and despite a few speed bumps things couldn't be better.

"Hi, how was your shower?" Pete playfully asked as he fed Lucas his breakfast. I smiled back at Pete taking a seat next to him and our son.

I noticed the morning mail unopened on the table in front of me and began opening it as Pete and I casually discussed the upcoming day. "What is this?" I asked as I flashed Pete the letter. It was a notice from our lawyer. "No idea, open it". I ripped open the letter, curious as to what was inside.

It was a motion for breach of confidentiality, initiated by Katie Kent.

"What the hell is this" I said as I handed Pete the letter.

I could see the anger growing in Pete's face as he read the letter in it's entirety. "How could she do this?" He asked, almost yelling. "After what she did to you!", "After you let her go!" He was growing increasingly angry.

I couldn't bring myself to join in his fury. I rose from my chair and went to the kitchen, to put on a pot of coffee.

"Violet" Pete asked as he stormed into the kitchen, "Violet!" I couldn't bring myself to respond, my thoughts too occupied to form a sentence.

"What?" I yelled as I turned back to him. We stood there staring at each other. I knew Pete was thinking about the possibility of this woman coming between us again. Her absence from our lives had been a definite necessity.

I knew Pete to this day still didn't understand why I had declared Katie innocent in front of the jury last year. It was something that he would never understand. He couldn't comprehend the idea of letting a woman who had ruined our lives for so long get away with it. I had to forgive Katie, or else I would never have overcome the trauma, but I knew Pete would never forgive her for what she did to our relationship and to our family.

We stood there a few feet apart, no words necessary. We knew each other so well that we didn't have to explain what we were feeling. I knew Pete was angry and he knew I was scared.

"We're going to be late for work" I said as I walked by him and grabbed my purse.


	3. Chapter 3

We drove to work in silence. After we dropped Lucas off at the Nanny's we proceeded to Oceanside Wellness. Pete knew I wasn't ready to talk about it, and he was too angry to comfort me right now.

We both made our way to the kitchen, our old morning meeting routine now seemed to be less formal and take place over bagels and gossip. As we entered the room Cooper, Charlotte and Sheldon looked up, able to see the tense and angered looks on our faces.

"What's going on Vi?" Cooper asked, seeming almost worried. I whipped the letter out of my purse and sat down. My three co workers skimmed over the letter, clearly shocked at it's details. "I'm being sued by Katie" I said, feeling as if I might break down right there and then.

Pete could no longer hold in his anger "How could this happen! She attacked Violet, and they let her go?" Cooper looked up from the letter, able to see how upset I was. Sheldon and Charlotte offered their condolences, genuinely concerned. Pete was walking back and forth, eager for answers. "I'm calling our lawyer right now" he said as he left the kitchen.

"Vi, let's go, c'mon" Cooper said as he motioned towards my office. As we entered I hung my purse on the hook and collapsed on the couch, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Cooper sat down beside me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders as I buried my head in his chest.

"I didn't do anything wrong Cooper...she attacked me!" Cooper stared at me sympathetically. "Coop don't give me that look, don't feel bad for me, just help me!"

"Vi, what can I do? I'll do anything, what do you need?"

"I think I should go talk to her." I said.

"Vi...do you think that's a good idea? I mean you haven't seen her since the trial, you don't know how seeing her again might affect you."

"Cooper, I'm fine. I'm fine. I can do this. I need to do this. Please can you just take me to go see her."

"What! You're not gonna tell Pete?"

"I can't, he would never understand. He's so angry at Katie that he can barely look at me since we got the letter."

"Vi, he's probably just worried of how you're gonna react. I mean you guys are finally happy. The man was miserable all last year while he waited for you to come back to him. You have to give him some credit."

"I know, I know. Of course I understand him being angry, but he needs to know that I'm not going crazy again. I'm just...scared, and instead of being angry at Katie I just want him to be there for me."

"I don't think you have to worry about him being there for you, he will be. But Vi, if you go see Katie without telling him he's gonna be mad."

"I know, but can you just let me deal with Pete when the time comes, and take me to go see Katie. Please Coop."

"Okay, if you think you can handle it."

We pulled up to the diner where the internet told us Katie had been employed. Cooper looked at me, waiting for me to back out. Instead, I opened the door, eager to talk to Katie. I needed answers.

As I walked into the diner, I could see Katie behind the counter. She looked good, put together. Less crazy then I remembered her looking.

As I approached her, she noticed my presence.

"Dr. Turner, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you, do you have a minute?" I asked.

"No I don't have have a minute, you really shouldn't be here without a lawyer present.

"Katie please" I demanded, having a flashback of me laying motionless on my living room floor, Katie bent over me holding a scalpel.

"Fine" she said, coming out from behind the counter and motioning to a near by booth.

We sat across from each other, not knowing what to say. The last time we sat in this position had been in jail, after I had let Katie go.

"I got a letter from my lawyer this morning...you're suing me for a breach of confidentiality?" I asked, wanting answers.

"Listen Dr. Turner, obviously I didn't want to do that, but after I read your book I was just appalled. I know you must not understand this, but I overcame that old person, I can't be dragged back down by my portrayal in your book."

"Okay, I get that, but is this really necessary, I mean I wrote the book when I was recovering from the whole trauma, and I didn't mean to exploit you by publishing it."

"Katie, get back to work" a man from behind the counter shouted in our direction.

"Dr. Turner, I have to go. I'm sorry, but this is the only solution for me."

Before I had a chance to respond she had ducked back behind the counter. I didn't move at first, thinking about the casual encounter I had just had with my attacker. I picked up my purse and exited the diner without a thought. As I opened the door to Cooper's car I could see the anxious look on his face, waiting for details.

"Take me home." I said, unable to return to work.


	4. Chapter 4

It was late that night, the nanny had brought Lucas home early since I had not returned to work. I had not spoken to Pete all day, and I knew he would be working at the ER, so didn't expect him home till late.

I had put Lucas to bed and was sitting on the couch, feet curled under me thinking about my encounter with Katie. I knew I had to tell Pete, and was trying to formulate a way to tell him that would avoid an argument.

It was precisely then that I heard keys fumbling in the lock and knew Pete was home from his shift. As he entered the living room I could see the exhaustion across his face.

"Hi" I said smiling.

"Hi" he responded, dropping his stuff and taking a spot beside me on the couch. "What happened to you today, I went up to your office this afternoon and Charlotte told me you left early?"

"Yeah, I couldn't concentrate on work. I was thinking about Katie.." Pete stopped my in the middle of my sentence and grabbed my hand. "Vi, I talked to the lawyer and he thinks we have a good case, we'll get through this." He sounded like he was trying to reassure himself just as much as he was me.

"Pete I went to see her."

He didn't respond right away, but I could see the look of fury and disappointment in his eye.

"What? You went to see her!" He let go of my hand and stood from his spot on the couch.

"Yeah, I got Cooper to take me to her work. I was really confused and I thought talking to her would help." Pete was now standing at the other side of the living room clearly unimpressed.

"Violet, she's dangerous!"

"Pete, she's not dangerous! She's taking her meds, she has a steady job, she's turned things around!"

"How can you forgive her. I understand you believe people can change, but Katie! Really?" Pete's voice continued to rise.

"I forgave her a long time ago Pete, if I hadn't who knows where I would be now. Who knows where WE would be now! I doubt we would be married, I doubt we would be happy!"

"You might have forgiven her Violet, but I haven't! She tore us apart, and you're just choosing to forgive that!"

"She needs my help Pete! She will always be my patient!"

"She stopped being your patient when she cut out our son, and left you to die!"

Pete was staring at me with such intensity, I was almost scared. I didn't know how to respond. I was too frightened and too emotional to have this fight with him.

We stared at each other in silence.

"Do you ever think about what it was like for me when I walked through that door and found you...thinking you were dead. That was the scariest moment of my life Violet. Worse then watching my mother kill Henry, worse then finding Anna dead in the bed beside me."

I stared at my husband with such sympathy as I could see the pain in his eyes as he confronted everything he had been through.

"I can't begin to tell you how I felt when I thought I lost you." I could see Pete's eyes fill with tears as he remembered that dreadful day.

"That woman took you from me, and I will never be able to forgive her for that. I don't know how you could expect me to forgive her after what she did to us."

I rose from the couch and walked toward him "I don't expect you to" I said as I wrapped my hands around his shoulders. I could feel his hands around my waist, tightly welcoming my embrace.

"We'll get through this together" I said. No response needed.


	5. Chapter 5

I watched the numbers on the clock turn to 3:30am, unable to entertain the thought of sleeping. My husband's arm was slung over my torso, holding me onto his side of the bed. Trying not to wake him I delicately moved his arm so I was able to turn by body to face his.

"Where are you going" he whispered quietly, his eyes still closed.

"No where, I'm right here." I whispered as I ran my fingers through the front of his hair. He reached behind my back and pulled me close, "You promise?" he whispered into my neck, still half asleep.

"I promise" I responded.

We were laying so close I could hear him breathing. He was clearly still bothered about everything as well. I continued to stroke his hair, encouraging him to go back to sleep.

He kissed me. "You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

I smiled, knowing we would be okay.


End file.
